Power supply units that drive dielectric barrier discharge devices like plasma actuators and plasma sterilization devices are heavy and bulky weighing several kilograms occupying several square feet of footprint.
According to a 2012 National Resource Defense Council report, forty percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten, representing the equivalent of $165 billion in wasted food each year. Reducing food losses by just 15 percent would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables. Handling issues can occur when perishable commodities experience improper temperatures, such as during transportation delays due to weather, traffic, equipment or vehicle malfunction, or due to congestion at harbors, terminals, or when on loading docks or in warehouses. Imported products can wait days at ports for testing, significantly reducing their shelf life. Industry economic impacts from longer shelf life throughout the distribution chain could be significant to improved industry gross margins and net revenue. Other economic ramifications include job creation, lower health care costs through higher quality and availability of perishables, reduced environmental impacts, and a more productive populace.
Ozone, a major component of atmospheric plasma, is a potent antimicrobial agent. Ozone destroys microorganisms by reacting with oxidizeable cellular components, particularly those containing double bonds, sulfhydryl groups, and phenolic rings. Therefore, membrane phospholipids, intracellular enzymes, and genomic material are targeted by ozone; these reactions result in cell damage and death of microorganisms. Ozone offers many advantages as a sterilant/disinfectant gas; ozone is a very efficient sterilant because of its strong oxidizing properties (E=2.076). It also breaks down to harmless oxygen after just a couple of hours, but is active for enough time to effectively kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, including those causing food spoilage or human diseases. Efficacy of ozone, however, depends on the target microorganism and the treatment condition. Ozone has been used for sterilization of containers for aseptic packaging, decontamination of fresh produce, and food preservation in cold storage. Ozone is an unstable gas that must be produced on-site, since it cannot be stored, so it is not practical to use in many settings.